Maybe you’re devastated by all this division in our country. Maybe you need some good ol’ female empowerment. Or maybe you’re really curious as to why this post even makes the connections between Buffy and Christian theology.

Regardless of why you’re here, I hope this gives you hope and reminds you that you can slay with the best of them!

Here are 7 theological lessons from Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FINISHED THE SERIES, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

7. We are stronger together.

David had Jonathan, Naomi had Ruth, the disciples had Jesus and each other, Paul had the apostles and leaders of the churches (although he was still pretty abrasive with them). The Scriptures rarely have anyone going it alone, because the writers of these stories knew the truth of these ancient words: “It is not good for [people] to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) In the same way, Buffy has the love and support of her friends and family. Even when she feels isolated because of her Slayer duties, she never has to live out her calling entirely alone. In fact, there are times when having her support group saves her life, as is the case in Season Four when she and her friends merge their psyches together to bring down an otherwise unbeatable enemy.

I’m specifically focusing on female characters because of the emphasis on female empowerment throughout the course of the show. Buffy can defeat an armada of vampires single-handed, but sometimes she lets that get to her head and doesn’t listen to others when it comes to dealing with life. Willow is kind and gentle but is willing to wipe peoples’ memories so she doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of her actions towards them. Faith is strong and fierce but doesn’t always have the best moral compass. Cordelia is prissy and sassy with the heart of a fighter. These women are as human and flawed as any male, and women need to be reminded that they too are made in God’s divine image and are still desperately human. In the Bible, Sarah manipulated a patriarchal system to get a son out of her maidservant, then proceeded to treat her like garbage. Still, she is considered the matriarch of the Hebrew line. Mary Magdalene had actual demons which required exorcism, and she was the first person to witness Jesus’ resurrection. Just like the women in Buffy, women in the Bible are complex and simple, holy and human.

5. Darkness will not overcome the light, although it can make the light harder to notice at times.

The Israelites lived through generations of exile and homecoming, which caused significant trauma and pain, along with great perseverance and hope. The Romans crucified Jesus, who embodied hope and restoration, but the grave could not contain him. Buffy and her gang encounter powerful forces of darkness in their adventures together, in the form of Big Bads, unexpected and senseless deaths, and broken relationships. But even though the monsters threaten to overtake them, the power to keep them at bay abounds in equal, if not greater, measure within them.

4. Repentance and forgiveness are difficult and possible, even in the worst of people and the worst of situations.

Joseph’s brothers threw him in a well and sold him into slavery out of jealousy. After enduring significant hardships, rising to power in Egypt, and meeting with his brothers again (while also tormenting them), Joseph forgives and finds restored relationship with his family. Before he was Paul, Saul of Tarsus persecuted and killed Christians with joy. After his conversion, Paul became Christianity’s greatest champion. Buffy and her friends exhibit this similar struggles with repentance and forgiveness. Buffy’s friends and lovers hurt her in deep ways, and it takes significant time and personal healing for her to forgive them. After Willow, in her “Dark” form, kills someone and threatens to destroy the world, she does the hard work of both accepting and mastering her darkness, and her friends do this work with her. In these stories, repentance is not easy, and forgiveness is not cheap, but they are both possible.

Buffy is a unique Slayer in that she insists on surrounding herself with friends and allies who assist her in her duties. While past Slayers lived out their callings in isolation, Buffy shares her journey and calling with others. This idea of fully sharing power comes to its fulfillment at the conclusion of the series. In the series finale, Willow unleashes the power from a magical scythe to empower all potential Slayers so that Buffy is no longer alone in her mission. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit touched all those gathered at the Temple in order to imbue them with the power to share the Gospel by giving them the ability to speak different languages. Power is not something to be held by one but to be shared by many. Only in sharing power can God’s love and kingdom be made manifest in a diverse world.

2. Death affects every single one of us, but it is not the final word.

The Jewish culture of Israel dies, is exiled, and returns, only for this cycle to resume a few hundred years later. Jesus dies and walks out of the grave. Giles loses Jenny, Buffy loses her mother, and Willow loses Tara. Death comes for every single one of us and all of the ones we love. It unites us in our humanity, but it is never the last word. Resurrection occurs in biblical tales and in Buffy’s stories. New loves come, lives continue in new and altered ways, and the world keeps turning. These characters remind us to deal with death in its enormity, grieve well, and learn somehow to move on into a new life.

Buffy and the gang endure immense hardships in their work together, but they still find reasons to keep fighting the good fight. Buffy encourages her sister to “be brave [and] live” in this hard life. Then, she must live into the reality of her own words after her friends resurrect her, and she must endure the hells of human life after respite in heaven. It is only after a long, intense, and difficult season that she finds something worth living for again. Job struggles through his losses and wonders what the point of life and living is, and even after God appears to him in a whirlwind, his questions are not all answered. However, he gains a new perspective and begins a new life in light of these revelations. There is no guarantee that life will be easy, and sometimes, it barely feels worth the trouble, but deep within the crevices, there is beauty, and it is worth pursuing.

What theological insights resonated most with you? Which ones did I miss? As a part of my Fangirl Theology series, please comment with your own theological insights into your favorite fandoms, or any fandoms you might want to discuss further!